Sustainable Societies

A sustainable society is defined as a society that continues to persist and thrive overtime, still providing high quality life for the inhabitants of said society without harming or destroying, but continuing the productivity to ensure that, the resources which are needed to survive are available.

There are many factors which contribute together to make a society sustainable. The society in question must care for and conserve for their environment and natural resources. The society must have a good government. A government which is able to adapt with change to better the society, and can respond to crisis quickly and efficiently. This can all depend on the type of leader the government is led by, the thoughts and beliefs of the society, i.e. religious views, the economy of the society and many other factors. The society would have no enemies, or the enemies they did have would be weak, posing little threat to the existence of the society. The society must have a positive trade system, which would consist of reliable trade partners. The last factor is the response that the society would have when posed with a threat. A societies resiliency can play a big part in whether a society will collapse or survive through the rough times.

In my report I will be discussing the conservation of the environment and natural resources, trading partners and response to crisis.

Conserving Natural Resources & The Environment

The environment plays a big role in the survival of society, but it can also cause many problems from deforestation to soil erosion to water usage if not used and preserved in the right way. These key factors alone have been responsible for the downfall of many societies.

One example of a society which has overcome environmental problems and is ensuring that these resources are available for many years to come is Japan. Starting in the 6^th century the inhabitants of Japan began to clear forests not only to use the areas to build up an urban community but also the demand for top quality timber was high, as well as wood being used to fuel the production of steel, copper and many other materials. By the 17^th century construction of shrines, temples and other large buildings were beginning to be erected all being made from the same timber. This is clearly a case where how the Japanese responded was prominent in them overcoming the looming crisis ahead. By the end of World War II Japan was suffering major wood shortages. The Japanese government immediately began mass timber plantations and began importing timber, saving themselves from a near fatal collapse.

Another example of a society which has overcome environmental problems is the Dominican Republic. A study in 1981 showed that erosion was one of their major environmental problems. A study only 19 years later showed that this problem had increased by 400%, but clearly showed that most of this damage had occurred in the 1980s and also showed that as time went on, it was beginning to slow down. Deforestation was also a problem they faced. Once 75% of the Dominican Republic was covered by forest, but by the 1980s there had been a large decrease in the amount of area covered. The government responded by launching a number of programs, both locally and nationally. Alternative fuels were discovered, and the amount of land that was protected was increased. Slowly these resources began to recover, saving the Dominican Republic.

To see how important the conservation of natural resources and the environment is we must also compare it to a society which failed to do so. The environmental damage caused on Easter Island played a large role in the collapse of their society. With a limited water supply available it would have been wise to have used this resource with care, but instead they abused this resource. Deforestation also played a part, with almost no trees left on the entire island in the end. This played a large part in the collapse, showing that the environment is very important to the survival of any society.

Trading Partners

Many materials, items, food etc are needed in the existence of any society but are not always available in their location, which is why reliable trade partners are needed.

China is one of the largest trading empires in the world, exporting and importing thousands of products everyday, from and to many countries all over the world. One of Chinas major imports is gas and oil, with 70% of their usage being imported from other countries. Without this, China would not be able to run efficiently, and in turn would not be able to manufacture the fuel to produce many of Chinas major exports to other countries.

Bhutan is a small country which is boarded by India and Tibet. It is considerably less powerful than both, and at any time either India or Tibet could invade Bhutan and conquer it successfully. By successful trade relations built up over time Bhutan has maintained a friendly relationship with each country.

These societies have built up many valuable trading partners over many decades, but what happens when a society does not have access to reliable trade partners?

Rome was highly dependant on it’s trade partners, and as time went on Rome began to grow both in wealth and power. As powerful and as wealthy as they became though, the fact still remained that without friendly trade partners, Rome was not self-sustainable. So when trading partners became hostile, and the trading between societies began to perish Rome declared a war and went out to conquer Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. Though successful in the end, this proved to be a factor of collapse as the more land they conquered, the more resources they needed to be available.

Response To Crisis

How a society responds to crisis plays a large role in the factors that lead to a societies sustainability. How a society responds can make or break a society. A good response depends largely on a competent government and a peaceful society which is willing to work together through tough times.

Japan is a great example of a society which responded well when presented with a crisis. They were presented with a near fatal deforestation problem, but were able to respond quickly to ensure that this did not happen, preventing a near collapse.

In comparison a society whose response to crisis was not effective enough to prevent their collapse is the Mayans. Due to their strict religious beliefs and views they refused to deal with the problems, mostly environmental, presented to them. Instead of trying to help, and try and reverse, the damage done by climate change, drought, etc, they instead chose to believe that it was the Gods angry at them causing the damage. In turn they continued to try and please their Gods, which was doing more and more damage.

Conclusion

The points presented to you above is only a brief outline of the factors involved in a societies sustainability. A combination of these factors must be achieved for a society to be self-sustainable. Societies today should look to past societies, especially those on the verge of crisis, and learn from the lessons that they present to us, in order to achieve sustainability for centuries to come.

References
Sustainable Seattle (2005, 22 February) What Is A Sustainable Society?
Retrieved 19^th April, 2008 from:
http://www.sustainableseattle.org/SustCommunity

Wikipedia, Last Updated: 17 April, 2005 Environmental Issues In Japan
Retrieved 19^th April from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_protection_in_Japan

Kuroda, Y. Underlying Causes of Deforestation and Forest Degradation
Retrieved 19^th April from:
http://www.wrm.org.uy/deforestation/Asia/Japan.html

Dominican Republic Environmental Assessment (2001, September)
Retrieved 19^th April from:
http://www.usaid.gov/dr/docs/resources/dr_environment_assessment092001.pdf

Blackburn, G. (2008, March 18) The Collapse Of Easter Island
Retrieved 19^th April from:
http://zanioak.blogspot.com/

CIA The World Factbook (Last updated 2008, April 15) China
Retrieved 21^st April from:
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ch.html

Chan, A. (2008, March 20) The Roman Empire – Collapse Of Complex Societies
Retrieved 21^st April from:
http://adamsblargh.blogspot.com/2008/03/roman-empire-collapse-of-complex.html

Country Studies (no date available) Bhutan Trade
Retrieved 21^st April from:
http://www.country-studies.com/bhutan/trade.html

Reji, R. (2008, March 20) Collapse: Ancient Maya
Retrieved 22^nd April from :
http://rohitasblog.blogspot.com/2008/03/collapse-ancient-maya.html

The Collapse of the Mayans

The Mayan civilization is a Mesoamerica civilization, which may be best known for being one of the only civilizations to have developed a full language and writing system, which has been deciphered. Located throughout the southern states of present day Mexico, extending down to present day Honduras, the area known as the Mayan area was the largest sub-region in Mesoamerica.

The Mayans developed sophisticated mathematical and astrological systems, along with developing a 360 day calendar long before any other civilizations had done. Therefore, it comes as a surprise that such a advanced society would come to such a shocking end.

Jared Diamond has developed a five-point framework which can be used to help us better understand the collapse of many civilizations before us, using the five factors of environmental damage, climate change, hostile enemies, loss of friendly trade partners and response to crisis. Four of these five points contributed to the demise of the Mayan society.

Environmental Damage
The two main factors within environmental damage was deforestation and soil erosion. The Mayans cleared land for a few main reasons, to clear space for farmlands, and to use the resources that the trees provided such as fuel, for construction and making plaster. Plaster production was a major cause of deforestation, with many Maya buildings going overboard with lavish plaster decorations.

At one point a majority of the population within Maya society resided in the hill sides. Excavations into foundations of hillside buildings show that sometime in the 8th century it had been covered in sediment, and hill slopes had began to erode, and sucked dry of nutrients. Forests that had formally covered and protected soil on the valley floor had all been cleared, leaving the acidic infertile hill soils to be carried down into the valley, blanketing the lush fertile valley soils beneath them.

The vast Maya population outstripped all available resources. Hillside erosion decreased area available for use as farmland. Basically there was too many farms on too little land for the amount of people living within the Maya society.

Climate Change
The repeated occurrence of droughts played a significant role in the demise of the Maya society. Two previous smaller collapses, before the Classic collapse can all be associated with droughts. Maya area was relatively wet from 5500BC until 500BC. The period between 475-250BC was dry, and better conditions returned after 250BC, which may have facilitated the pre-Classic rise. Another drought occurred between AD125-AD250 which is suspected to be responsible for the collapse of El Mirador and other Maya sites. Once that drought ended Classic Maya cities began to build up.

AD760 bought the worst drought to the Mayan society that had been seen in 7,000 years, with the worst stage being around AD800. This is the drought that is thought to be responsible for the Classic collapse.

It has been speculated that droughts may have been “man-made” caused by deforestation, as trees can play a big part in water recycling. Droughts overall caused many problems for the Mayans with them being dependant on their own lakes, ponds etc to provide water to grow crops and to use as drinking water, which were in turn drying up leaving the Mayans in a state of starvation and thirst.

Hostile Enemies
Hostility amongst the Mayan civilization played a big role in the demise of the Mayan society. Limitations on food supply, available farmland and transportation made it difficult to unite the whole Mayan empire. Wars between separate kingdoms, attempts to revolt against their capital, civil wars trying to overthrow the kings and fights between commoners over land were not uncommon. More is known about the warfare, captives taken and the triumphants of the Mayan kings and nobles as descriptive details were inscribed on stone monuments, along with the boasting of their conquests.

Captives were tortured brutally with many of them having their fingernails and teeth pulled out, the bottom of their jaw cut off, fingers yanked out of their sockets, cutting off of their lips and tips of fingers, and putting nails through there lips. Some were even tied up in a ball, legs and arms bounded together, and then rolled to their death down the steep, stone staircase of a temple.

Wars between both the kings and nobles, and between the commons become more frequent and intense towards the time of the Classic collapse. There were many frequent fights over the best land, and many commoners ended up killing each other in struggles to get the best resources.

Loss Of Friendly Trade Partners
Out of Jared Diamonds five-point framework, this is the one point that was not essential in the collapse of the Mayan empire. The main imports that the Mayans received were obsidian, jade, gold and shells, with the last three being non essential luxury items. Obsidian, a shiny, black Volcanic glass, was the preferred material that the Maya used for making tools etc, and still remained widely distributed even after the collapse, proving to never have been in short supply.

Response To Crisis
The Mayan kings and nobles did not appear to be very concerned with the looming collapse that threatened their society. They had a tight rein on the commoners, who believed if they supplied the kings and nobles with luxuries, by feeding them corn and building their palaces for example, they would in turn keep away droughts. This may have made them believe that this was their work, not satisfying their kings, and that the droughts may not be a serious problem.

There was a fierce competition between both the nobles and kings, and a lot of their time was spent trying to take each other captive and over throwing each other. The kings and nobles took higher priority on the emphasis on current wars and erecting large monuments highlighting their triumphants rather than facing the larger, underlying problems. They did not take priority on trying to find possible solutions for the long term problems their society faced, which would have been a factor in the Maya collapse.


One thing we must remember is that the Mayan collapse was not a complete one. The Southern Lowlands were affected most as they were the area with the densest population, and had the most severe water problems. Those in the north were situated in areas with stable water supplies and along rivers, lakes and lagoons at lower elevations. This could factor into response.

Deforestation played a part in droughts becoming more intense. Droughts caused crops to fail, making limited food resources available to the population. Competition for resources began causing hostility and warfare between the commoners, kings and nobles. Many experts have drawn similarities between the Maya collapse and today’s Africa and other places susceptible to droughts. Experts suggest that those countries should learn from the Maya collapse to prevent a chain reaction beginning with drought, and ultimately ending in collapse.

The Maya civilization was a great one. They were the only civilization who appeared to have had a fully developed language, which could also be written. Maya art was considered be the most beautiful and sophisticated in the ancient New World, not to mention their spectacular architecture. At its peak it was the New Worlds most advanced civilization located in North America before the European arrival. Sadly, they were destined to fail. In conclusion I think that all of the factors presented in Jared Diamonds five-point framework play a part in the collapse of this society, with all of the factors tying in together to create a chain of reaction leading to the collapse of the society.

Bibliography
Diamond,(2006) Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Survive, Penguin, USA.
American Scientist Online - Climate and the Collapse of Maya Civilization, 2005
http://www.americanscientist.org/template/AssetDetail/assetid/44510?fulltext=true&print=yes
National Geographic News - Climate Change Killed Off Maya Civilization, March 13 2003
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/03/0313_030313_mayadrought.html
Wikipedia - Maya Civilization, last updated 8 March, 2008
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayans